Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, a condition in which the amount of glucose in the blood of a subject is not regulated properly. Diabetes can result when the body no longer responds adequately to insulin or when the production of insulin is inadequate. An estimated 135 million people worldwide are affected by type 2 diabetes. The number of Americans diagnosed with type 2 diabetes is estimated to range between 11.6 million to 14 million people. Although onset of type 2 diabetes is primarily observed in people over 40 years of age, the typical age at diagnosis of type 2 diabetes has decreased over the last decades as increasing numbers of youths and young adults have been affected. See Koopman et al. (2005) Ann. Fam. Med. 3:60-63.
Contributing factors to the rising incidence of type 2 diabetes include obesity and increasingly sedentary lifestyles. It is also recognized that insulin secretagogue therapy is appropriate for type 2 diabetes management when diet and lifestyle modifications fail. Typically, secretagogue therapy is intended to augment circulating insulin levels in patients with a moderate degree of β-cell dysfunction. Sulfonylureas, which stimulate insulin secretion and reduce hyperglycemia, have been used as insulin secretagogues when administered to patients with type 2 diabetes. Nevertheless, the long plasma half-life and the long-lasting effect of some sulfonylureas increase the risk of hypoglycemia, and new candidate insulin secretagogues are sought.
Therapies for treating type 2 diabetes and type 2 diabetes-related conditions or symptoms are sought because the prevalence of type 2 diabetes is increasing. Novel compounds that display desirable activity for treating type 2 diabetes and type 2 diabetes-related conditions or symptoms are described herein.